Process and plant for building tyres

Abstract

A plant for building tyres includes a plurality of working locations, at least one first working location being associated with at least two loading/unloading locations, a proximal one and a distal one, each of said working locations and loading/unloading locations being associable with a forming drum. The production cycle is controlled by the method of: (i) loading a first forming drum into the at least one first working location; (ii) loading a second forming drum into the loading/unloading location; (iii) at the end of the working provided in the at least one first working location, unloading the first forming drum into the proximal loading/unloading location.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for building tyres comprising using a plurality of forming drums, wherein each forming drum is capable of carrying a tyre being processed, and a first work station comprising a first and a second working location, wherein the process for building tyres further comprises:
 submitting a first forming drum to a first process working in the first working location of the first work station; 
 transferring the first forming drum from the first working location to a first intermediate transfer location of the first work station and a second forming drum to the first work station, wherein transferring comprises:
 picking up, by a primary handling device, the second forming drum from an entry location of the first work station, wherein the second forming drum is submitted to the first process working in the first working location; 
 picking up the first forming drum from the first working location; 
 transferring and releasing the second forming drum to the first working location, 
 wherein at least one of: 
 the first forming drum is transferred, by translation and by a first grip member carried by a first support structure of an intermediate handling device, from the first working location to the first intermediate transfer location and released in the first intermediate transfer location to the primary handling device before being transferred and released by the primary handling device to an exit location of the first work station; or 
 the second forming drum is transferred by the primary handling device to the first intermediate transfer location and released in the first intermediate transfer location to the first support structure of the intermediate handling device before being transferred, by translation, and released by the first intermediate handling device to the first working location; 
 
 transferring and releasing, by the primary handling device, the first forming drum to the exit location before the first forming drum is transferred from the first work station to a second work station, wherein the second work station is configured for carrying out a second process working on the tyre being processed; 
 submitting a third forming drum to a third process working in the second working location of the first work station; and 
 transferring the third forming drum from the second working location to a second intermediate transfer location of the first work station and a fourth forming drum to the first work station, wherein transferring comprises:
 picking up, by the primary handling device, the fourth forming drum from the entry location of the first work station; 
 picking up, by a second grip member carried by a second support structure of the intermediate handling device, the third forming drum from the second working location, the second support structure configured to translate independently from the first support structure; 
 translating, relative to the second working location, the second support structure to transfer the third forming drum from the second working location to the second intermediate transfer location; 
 transferring, by the primary handling device, the fourth forming drum to the second working location; and 
 releasing, by the primary handling device, the fourth forming drum to the second working location. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second forming drum is picked up from the entry location by the primary handling device before the first forming drum has been picked up from the first working location. 
     
     
       3. The process as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the second forming drum is released in the first working location or in the first intermediate transfer location before the first forming drum has been released in the exit location. 
     
     
       4. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second forming drum is released in the first working location simultaneously with transfer of the first forming drum to the first intermediate transfer location. 
     
     
       5. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first forming drum is transferred by the intermediate handling device to the first intermediate transfer location and released in the first intermediate transfer location to the primary handling device, the transfer of the first forming drum to the first intermediate transfer location comprising:
 picking up the first forming drum from the first working location by the first grip member of the intermediate handling device. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein transfer, by translation, and release of the second forming drum to the first working location comprises: picking up the second forming drum from the first intermediate transfer location by the first grip member carried by the first support structure, the first support structure being alternately movable relative to the first working location between a first position and a second position, for translation of the second forming drum from the first intermediate transfer location to the first working location. 
     
     
       7. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the third forming drum is picked up after the first forming drum has been released into the first intermediate transfer location. 
     
     
       8. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first forming drum is picked up from the first working location by the first grip member carried by the first support structure of the intermediate handling device, which first supporting structure is alternately movable relative to the first working location between a first position and a second position, to cause translation of the first forming drum from the first working location to the first intermediate transfer location. 
 
     
     
       9. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second grip member picks up the third forming drum when the first grip member is in the first intermediate transfer location. 
     
     
       10. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a transfer device transfers the first forming drum from the exit location to the second work station. 
     
     
       11. The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second forming drum is released to the first working location by the primary handling device while the first forming drum is simultaneously transferred to the first intermediate transfer location by the intermediate handling device; and 
 the first forming drum is released by the intermediate handling device to the primary handling device at the first intermediate transfer location after the primary handling device releases the second forming drum to the first working location. 
 
     
     
       12. A process for building tyres comprising using a plurality of forming drums, wherein each forming drum is capable of carrying a tyre being processed, and a first work station comprising a first and a second working location, wherein the process for building tyres further comprises:
 submitting a first forming drum to a first process working in the first working location of the first work station; 
 transferring the first forming drum from the first working location to a first intermediate transfer location of the first work station and a second forming drum to the first work station wherein transferring comprises:
 picking up, by a primary handling device, the second forming drum from an entry location of the first work station; 
 picking up the first forming drum from the first working location; 
 transferring and releasing the second forming drum to the first working location, 
 wherein at least one of:
 the first forming drum is transferred, by translation and by a first grip member carried by a first support structure of an intermediate handling device, from the first working location to the first intermediate transfer location and released in the first intermediate transfer location to the primary handling device before being transferred and released by the primary handling device to an exit location of the first work station; or 
 the second forming drum is transferred by the primary handling device to the first intermediate transfer location and released in the first intermediate transfer location to the first support structure of the intermediate handling device before being transferred, by translation, and released by the first intermediate handling device to the first working location; 
 
 
 transferring and releasing, by the primary handling device, the first forming drum to the exit location before the first forming drum is transferred from the first work station to a second work station, wherein the second work station is configured for carrying out a second process working on the tyre being processed; 
 submitting a third forming drum to a third process working in the second working location of the first work station; and 
 transferring the third forming drum from the second working location to a second intermediate transfer location of the first work station and a fourth forming drum to the first work station, wherein transferring comprises:
 picking up, by the primary handling device, the fourth forming drum from the entry location; 
 transferring and releasing, by the primary handling device, the fourth forming drum to a second support structure of the intermediate handling device at the second intermediate transfer location, the second support structure configured to translate independently from the first support structure; 
 picking up, by the primary handling device, the third forming drum at the second working location of the first work station; and 
 translating, relative to the second working location, the second support structure to transfer the fourth forming drum from the second intermediate transfer location to the second working location; and 
 releasing, by the second support structure, the fourth forming drum to the second working location.